System of coaling ships at sea.



No. 727,774' I PATENTED MAY 12, 1903.

A. K. PINLAY. SYSTEM OF GOALING SHIPS AT SEA.

APPLIOATIdN FILED mugs, 1902. no MODEL. v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I PATENTED MAY 12, 19.03. A. K. FINLAY. f SYSTEM OF GDALING SHIPS AT SEA. 'APPLIIOATION FILED MAY 19. 1902. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

r4: Nonms virus so. wormuwofl WASHINGTON n c UNITED STATES.

Patented May 12, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

SYSTEM OF COALING SHIPS AT SEA.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 727,774, dated'May 12, 1903.

Application fiua May 19, 902. Serial No.108.093. (No tea.) I

To aZZ whom it concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER KIRKWOOD FINLAY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, resid-.

ing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Systems of Coaling Ships at Sea; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such-as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

My invention relates to improved means for coaling shipsat sea while under way and where it is impracticable for two vessels to lie alongside of each other during the operation of coaling. V

Various means have been devised by which bags or other like receptacles containing coal are hoisted to a considerable distance abovepassing from the million to thevessel being;

coaled and coming back empty. The boat may be loaded from the vcollier either by a coal-chute or in any otherconvenient'way,and"

when it reaches the vessel being coaled it is hoisted bodily inboard and the coal is dumped out at the desired point. Since the boat will frequently have to go through a heavy seaway, it is made completely covered over and water-tight.

My invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in

which the same parts are indicated by the same letters throughout the several views.

Figure 1 represents a collier preceding a battle-ship and connected to said battle-ship by a tow-line and also by hauling-lines for the boats. Fig. 2 is a diagram inplan of the arrangement shown in-Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are details showing a plan view and vertical longitudinalsection of the boat adapted to be used in the herein-described apparatus, and Fig. 5 shows a pneumatic buffer to equalize the strain on the tow-line.

A I A represents the collier, which should preferablybe in advance-of the battle-ship or vesselto be, coaled and is connected thereto by a tow-line O. To either or both ends of this tow-line a surge-relieversuch, for instance, as a pneumatic buffer D-is connected. The purpose of this is to ease the strain on -the tow-line when either vessel pitches in a seaway. Byv providing suitable bufiers 'it would be possible to make the towline comparatively short,-and'th1'1s shorten the trip of the coal-carrying boats through siderable, and the :tow-line is in the form of. a catenary curve, which curve yielding vertically more or less enables either vessel to pitch a reasonable amount without subjecting an excessive orbreaking strain on the tow-line; but by employing a pneumatic buffer, as will be hereinafter described, thelength of the tow-line may be materially lessened. The preferred form of buffer is shown in Fig. 5, where D represents a long cylinder,

in which is mounted the air-tight piston D connected to the piston-rod d, which passes through a suitable stuffing-box in the cylinder-hea(l. Theeyes tlgsec ured to the cylin- .aer D',and*d. secured to the piston-rod d,

are provided for conuectin g this buffer to the tow-line and to the vessel, respectively. Air

under pressure is supplied throughthe pipe d from any suitable source. This would ordinarily be pumped in occasionally when desired.

The opposite end of the cylinder in rear of the piston is perforated,as at d", to prevent the accumulation of any compressed air in the rear of the piston, so that the piston and cylinder would normally occupy the position shown in Fig. 5 except when heavy strains are on the tow-line, when the piston would be moved to the right, compressing the air in the closed end of the cylinder D, thus acting as a pneumatic buffer. Since the cylinder would tend to fiy-forward again when. the strain on the tow-line is released, I provide a suitable bulfer d of rubber or other-mate rial, on the piston-rod, which-arrests the forward travel of the piston'and the cylinder on said rod.

The collier and the vessel to be coaled are provided with suitable booms or outriggers F and F, between which are hauling-lines, preferably of steel-wire ropes E. The boats H are hauled backward and forward by means of these hauling-lines. They of course have suitable connections inboard; but these aremere mechanical details, which would be obvious to any seafaring man and which would only add to the complexity of the drawings without conveying any additional idea of the system. I prefer to have the collier lead, for the simple reason that it is easier to haul an empty boat ahead than it is to haul a loaded boat ahead. By this arrangement the loaded boat may be eased down to the battle-ship and the empty boat hauled back to the collier. The boats may be loaded on the deck of the collier, then hoisted outboard, eased down to the battle-ship, and hoisted inboard from suitable derricks or davits, (not shown,) or the boats maybe coaled from a chute over the side of the collier and then eased down to the battle-ship and hoisted inboard, emptied, and hoisted out'of the boat again and sent back to the collier. Davits suitable for this purpose are well known and not being a part of my present invention are not shown herein.

Suitable constructions of boats for the purpose herein described are shown in Figs. 3 and 4, in which the boats are provided with a central or coal-carrying compartment H with end compartments H These end compartments are made air-tight, like those in a life-boat,and are separated from the compartments H by means of the bulkheads W. The boat is decked over and is provided with a central water'tight door H hinged, as at 71 and provided with suitable fastening devices it, by means of which the said door may be firmly forced down on its seat and may prevent the leaking in of water as the boat is drawn ahead. It will frequently happen that the boat has to dive bodily through the crest of waves, and it is important to make it as absolutely water-tight as practicable. Suitable eyebolts 71 are secured to the bow and stem of the boat to connect it to the haulingline E, and other eyebolts 71 are provided for hoisting the boat out of the water. For convenience in dumping the boat it is preferably provided with trunnions H, which project through the stem and stern posts and have their inner ends secured in the sockets 7L7, fast to the partition 71 These trunnions lower into the trunnion-seats on the frames K, which may be mounted on the deck at or near the coal-bunker. The boatmay be rocked through the desired angle about these trunnions, and the coal may be dumped out, or in case it is necessary to move the boat for a greater or less distance along the deck wheels L and a caster M may be provided, by means of which the boat may be pushed along the deck by hand and the coal dumped out at the desired spot. The boat should preferably be made of pressed steel or wrought-iron, with stout angle-irons at the joints and so constructed as to stand rough usage.

While I have only shown one boat on each hauling-line E, it is obvious that two or more boats may be placed on each hauling-line, if desired. It will also be obvious that various modifications in the construction of the boat and the pneumatic bu tfer may be used which could be used without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In an apparatus for coaling ships at sea, the combination with the collier and the vessel to be coaled, of a tow-line connecting the two, Outriggers from the two vessels, one or more hauling-lines connecting said Outriggers and one or more boats on each hauling-line adapted to carry coal, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for coaling ships at sea, the combination with a collier and a vessel to be coaled, a tow-line connecting the two, outriggers projecting from each vessel, haulinglines connecting said Outriggers, and boats completely housed over and adapted to carry coal, connected to said hauling-lines, substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. In an apparatus for coaling ships at sea, the combination with a collier and the vessel to be coaled, of a tow-line connecting the two, a pneumatic buffer at one or both ends of said tow-line, Outriggers from the two vessels, a hauling-line connecting said outriggers,and a boat attached to said hauling-line adapted to carry coal, substantially as described.

4:. In an apparatus for coaling ships at sea, thecombination with the collier and the vessel to be coaled, a tow-line connecting the said vessels, a pneumatic buffer at one or both ends of said tow-line, one or more haulinglines connecting said vessels, and one or more boats on each hauling-line adapted to carry coal, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus for coaling ships at sea, the combination with a collier and a vessel to be coaled, a tow-line connecting the two,hau1- ing-lines connecting said vessels and boats completely housed over and adapted to carry coal, connected to said hauling-lines, substantially as and for thepurposes described.

6. In an apparatus for coaling ships at sea, the combination with the collier and the vessel to be coaled, of a tow-line connecting the two, a surge-reliever on said tow-line, outriggers from the two vessels, one or more hauling-lines connecting said Outriggers and one or more boats on each hauling-line adapted to carry coal, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER KIRKWOOI) FINLAY.

Witnesses:

CHAS. L. 'PULLEN, HUNTER S. CHARLTON. 

